The Kaduna State Government has trained teachers of Early Child Care Development Centres (ECCD) on mainstreaming nutrition in the care of children in the centres.
Mr Yusuf Saleh, the Permanent Secretary, Ministry for Education, said at the opening of the two-day training on Wednesday in Kaduna, that the step was to prevent childhood malnutrition.
Saleh, who was represented by the Deputy Director, Monitoring and Evaluation, Mr Munkaila Usman, said that the training was supported by the Kaduna State Emergency Nutrition Action Plan (KADENAP).
He said that the objective was to enhance the capacity of the teachers to provide adequate care to children under their care, specifically on food and nutrition, in early childhood.
He said the teachers, who would be expected to train others, will also be trained on their roles as caregivers, complementary feeding, healthy living, childhood diseases, and hygiene.
According to him, the training is critical considering the relationship between nutrition and development, stressing that pre-school children need adequate nutrition for good development.
“This training is in response to the implementation of the education sector nutrition-sensitive interventions such as food and nutrition security and nutrition education.
“Others are school feeding to improve nutritional status, learning capacities and retention, establishment of school gardens to provide food items and stimulate interest in farming among children.
“We equally have the responsibility of enhancing caregivers’ capacity in line with the provision of the Kaduna State Policy on Food and Nutrition,” he said.
Also speaking, Mr Aliyu Idris, the Director Schools, Kaduna State Universal Basic Education Board, described nutrition as “critical” to the development of a child.
According to him, without adequate nutrition, learning will not take place and the children will not have a strong educational foundation to build on.
Mr Umar Bambale, the Project Manager, KADENAP, said that the ECCD teachers were critical to ensuring that children under five years, had adequate nutrition for healthy growth and development.
Bambale said that KADENAP would continue to work with relevant Ministries, Departments, and Agencies (MDAs), to implement nutrition-sensitive interventions for the wellbeing of women and children.
Earlier, the Nutrition Desk Officer, Ministry for Education, Mrs Ruth Leo, said that the teachers, being trained as ‘Master Trainers’, would have a deeper understanding of the relationship between nutrition and childhood development.
The State Nutrition Officer, Mrs Ramatu Haruna, said that the training was part of the state’s multi-sectoral approach to addressing malnutrition, with emphasis on prevention.
She said that other MDAs were equally implementing nutrition-sensitive interventions, and sensitising parents, caregivers, and communities on how to use locally available food items to feed their children. (NAN)
